Kellogg says Trump intends to give leverage to Russia and Ukraine for negotiations

US President Donald Trump intends to give Moscow and Kiev leverage to negotiate the settlement of the conflict. This was reported by the White House leader's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, on air on the Fox News TV channel on January 31.

According to the politician, the United States administration is considering options to put pressure not only on Russia but also on Ukraine. According to Kellogg's words, all this "will provide the President of the United States with leverage to end the conflict."

"He knows where to apply and where not to apply pressure. And more importantly, he will create leverage. A leverage for both Ukrainians and Russians. And you can [yourself] read between the lines - in terms of how leverage is created," the special envoy said.

Kellogg emphasized that the presidential administration has a "credible plan" to help launch negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He specified that a ceasefire and the end of the conflict in Ukraine is in the interests of the United States. According to the special envoy, this can be achieved within a few months, not years.

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Earlier, on January 30, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump intends to achieve a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through negotiations. He noted that the US foreign policy should be primarily aimed at promoting the national interests of the country. At the same time, Rubio said that it is necessary to implement such a policy, avoiding armed conflicts "as much as possible".

Before that, on January 28, political scientist Ivan Meziukho expressed the opinion that Trump would not coordinate his views on the Ukrainian conflict with Ukrainian President (term of office expired on May 20, 2024) Volodymyr Zelensky, because Washington has turned this country into its colony and has never considered Kiev.

On the same day, the British newspaper Independent reported that Zelensky demanded that the American leader include Ukraine in any negotiations on the issue.

Trump, in turn, said on January 24 that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine had not been reached because Zelensky "decided to go to war," although the sides could have made a deal. The US leader said that the Ukrainian president had made a mistake by deciding to take part in an armed conflict against a much more powerful country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that Russia has never given up on peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed upon in Istanbul, not on the basis of "ephemeral demands."

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.